Portable electronic devices particularly mobile communication terminals and similar communication devices have rapidly expanded in use and function as users have demanded increasing functionality and smaller size. It is common to see mobile communication terminals that provide Global Computer Network access, messaging, personal information management, personal digital assistant functionality, music, facsimile and gaming, in addition to telephone communication. More complex keyboards have been provided to be compatible with the more complex applications that are found in such devices. Such keyboards have relatively small keys and are generally only satisfactory for operation using the “thumbs” of the user. One prior art attempt to provide a larger full function keyboard arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,580,932, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention in which a foldable keyboard is provided wherein a panel has an inner and outer surface and rotates between two positions. The panel carries a portion of the number of keys of the full function keyboard which keys are exposed on one side of the display for access and usage when the panel is rotated into an open position along with the remaining portion of the number of keys of the keyboard on the fixed panel on the opposite side of the display are exposed for access and usage when the rotated panel is in the open position. Although such devices are capable of providing more complex applications the display screen and communication keypad remain are not foldable and thus the size of the device cannot be reduced for both standard communication functionality and the advanced more complex keyboard functionalities.
It would be desirable therefore to provide a larger display screen size for both communication and keyboard functionality and a full function keyboard for such mobile communication terminal devices while maintaining the compact size of a foldable mobile communication terminal device.